A visit to Kacha Garhi refugee camp

As we reached there, the camp presented a view similar to that when Afghan refugees first came there: long rows of tents; children in shabby clothes playing around; aid agencies distributing things; and the dwellers all complaining.

A big difference between the Afghan refugees and these IDPs was that the former wanted to go back and fight against the Soviets; the latter only want to go back to their homes and live a normal life. They want both the militants and the security forces to end the conflict and want to fight neither.

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Pashtunkhwa in Pictures

A collection of photos taken by the writer of this blog is online. The photos of sceneries, personalities, Pastho writers and poets, bazaars, markets, gardens, etc, are included. You can revisit the site for more updates. Click Here.

Taliban jirga banned girls’ education in Orakzai Agency

A joint jirga (council) of the Taliban militants and tribal elders have declared a ban on girls’ education in Pakistan’s Orakzai Agency and ordered Non Governmental Organizations to halt their activities, reported BBC Urdu website. Most of the educational centers in the area are founded and organized by these NGOs.

This meeting took place in the Dabori area on Friday morning (09-05-2008) in the absent of local officials while hundreds of the armed militants were present, a local journalist, Hassan Khan, told BBC Urdu.

The jirga also decided to burn down the houses of the local residents who cooperate with the NGOs and help in girls’ education and ordered the Shiias to limit their daily life activities close to the areas where they live.

Meanwhile, the local militants in Swat announced temporary ceasefire with the Pakhtoonkhwa government after the first round of successful talks. The two parties met in Mingora, Swat, on Friday and discussed their peace agreement.

The provincial government, led by the secular nationalist group, Awami National Party, was eager to sign a peace deal with the militants from its first day of formation. Even before the formation of the government, the then nominated Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti had said in an interview that his government will prefer talks with the militants.

The local militants, led by Baitullah Mehsud, are active in the area for many years. The previous government too had signed a peace agreement with them but it was just a failure. That is why the U.S. and Afghan governments were not happy with another agreement between the militants and the Pakistani government. But both the governments then reportedly conditionally backed the recent agreement. It will be now premature to say how much this deal will succeed.

UPDATE: Suicide Attack After Peace Agreement

All the stuff I have written

This is a new blog where I have given links to al the stuff I have written on the web.

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Pakistan under political crisis and militancy

There were two big news for Pakistan on Aug. 30, 2007. In London, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that he will return to his country on Sep. 10. In Waziristan, nearly three hundred armed and fully equipped soldiers abducted by scores of the Taliban. read more

Terrorists are guests and health workers are hostages!

The crisis of South Korean hostages enters its third week and the Taliban are still threatening to kill them if their comrades not freed.

The same Taliban were claiming of being harbingers of Islamic peace and hospitality when they attacked Kabul in 1996 and seized nearly the entire country.

When they took over power and imposed their Sharia, they give peace and hospitality to the world’s known terrorists who compelled American invasion on Afghanistan.

The same ‘harbingers of peace and hospitality’ kidnapped 23 South Korean health workers, 18 of them women, in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province and later killed two of them.

As a Pashtoon and Afghan, as it is not our culture to kidnap women and guests, I condemn this act of terrorism and demand the Afghan government to do what they can to free the hostages.

And there is a question for the kidnappers: How do you call it ‘peace and hospitality’ to abduct and kill poor health workers and give safety to hardcore terrorists?

Breaking News or Sad News?

We, Pashtoons, are the most affected people who have suffered both terrorism and the war on terrorism. And, as I have explained in the petition, it is our media which is giving coverage to the terrorist and extremist activities which not only defame our culture and history, but also pushes us into war with the rest of the world. So our media should change its trends of giving coverage to the activities of extremist elements.

In the first step, the media can give coverage to the acts of the terrorists in such manner which also condemn them and their acts. And then the terms should be changed like a suicide attack and bomb blast should be not aired / published as BREAKING NEWS but as SAD NEWS. It’ll discarriage the terrorists. Instead of terrorist acts, media should highlight political efforts.

The Un-Islamic Mobile Phones

According to Pakistani media, 12 armed Taliban carried explosive devices to the Matani Bazar in the Pakhtoonkhwa province and blew four markets.

Reports said that they have destroyed music centers, barbers’ shops and mobile phones’ markets.

After committing the crime, they fled but threatened the watchmen that they will let not the un-Islamic business run.

The mullahs and the Taliban fanatics were calling music centers and barbers’ shops un-Islamic but it is new that they declare mobile phones too un-Islamic.

Some mullahs in Swat and Bajaur have declared anti-polio campaign un-Islamic. In Charsadda and Shabqadar they have declared net cafes un-Islamic and terrorized people.

This time they will appear with a fatwa at one hand and a bomb in another declaring vehicles un-Islamic. Wait and see.

Shahadat of Shakiba Sanga and Zakiyya Zaki

I am so sad to hear the news of killing of female journalist Zakiyya Zaki. It is second female journalist killed this week in Afghanistan. The enemies of humanity and Afghanistan are wiping every sign of ligh and moderation in Afghanistan. Still, I believe they will meet their end the day the people get some concience.

The news was so sad that it made me crying.

Daa da insaniat dukhmanan ba da tarikh pa kitab ke tormakhi wi!

Kidnapping for jihad

Accordin to BBC’s Urdu website, a Nazim (local elected official) Hasham Hussain has been threatened for raising his voice against the kidnapping of young boys for jihad.

Hasham Hussain told BBC that some jihadi elements kidnap yount students and send them for jihad.

It means that the so-called jihad of the mullahs is entering a new category which we can call ‘kill and kidnap for jihad’.